Grief Sucks
by musicgirl1120
Summary: After Nia's mom dies, she tries to convince everyone, including herself, that she's fine. However, that is far from the truth. Kara and Lena try to help their younger friend by sharing their own experiences with losing parents as well as just being there for her. Will Nia be able to open up to her friends and learn how to cope with the pain of her mother's death?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys. I decided to put out the first chapter of my next SuperGirl fic today in honor of Season 5 coming out tonight. I'm so excited for the new season! This story came from a prompt from two people, Laura and Theauthenticme. Both of them basically asked for a story about Kara and/or Lena being there for Nia while she's going through a hard time. So without further ado, here it is! **

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"Hey Nia," Kara said, approaching the young reporter's desk, "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Nia said, offering a half smile.

It had been just over three weeks since her mom had passes away, and truth be told, she wasn't fine. She had barely been sleeping at night, and was just really struggling with her grief in general.

However, she didn't want to bother anyone with her problems so she just put on a brave face and ignored her emotions. After everything that had happened after her mom died with her sister, Nia really felt lost.

Kara had been trying to be there for her and checked in with her every day, but with Nia not telling her what was happening, Kara had no way of knowing what was going on. The older woman suspected there was more going on than what Nia let on, but didn't want to push too hard, especially at work.

Lena had also been keeping an eye on one of her youngest employees and noticed that she just seemed off.

"I'm excited for tonight," Kara said, smiling at her mentee.

"Me too," Nia said through a yawn as Kara headed into her office.

The night before Kara and her girlfriend Lena Luthor had invited Nia over for a low-key movie night.

Nia had agreed only because she didn't want to worry Lena and Kara more than she knew they already were. She also liked both of the older women and enjoyed spending time with them.

Kara went to work in her office while Nia tried to focus on her story she had been writing. She had been struggling to get anything done because of how exhausted she had been from not sleeping.

Kara had asked to see what she had on her upcoming story about the alien refugee children in National City. Nia had been working on it for about three days and had nothing of substance to show for it. She had done some research and had started a little bit of the story, but it really hadn't gone anywhere.

She spent the rest of the morning trying to get something written but didn't make any real progress. Kara called her into her office just after lunch to go over what she had so far. Nia felt an overwhelming sense of dread as she headed into Kara's office.

"Hey Nia," Kara said with a smile.

Kara really only oversaw Nia and her work for the magazine because she had taken her on as her mentee, meaning Nia had a lot of Kara's attention. Most of the time, she loved it, but right now, she wished the older woman had other things to distract her from the fact that she was failing at this story.

"Hey Kara," Nia said with a kinda half smile, "How's it going?"

"Pretty well," Kara said, smiling at the younger woman, "How has your day been?"

"Alright," Nia said, shrugging.

Just as they were about to start, Kara's phone rang. It was Alex telling her about some emergency at the DEO.

"Can we reschedule?" Kara asked Nia, already standing up to leave.

"Of course," Nia said, nodding.

Kara was gone in a second, and Nia breathed a sigh of relief. She knew Kara had other meetings that afternoon, meaning there was no way she would have to show Kara her progress before it was time to go home. She went back to her desk, trying to get more of the story done.

It was Friday, meaning she would have the whole weekend to get something done. She was hoping she could maybe get some sleep so she could concentrate better.

Around 5, Nia packed up and headed home, having not made much headway on anything. She was so discouraged and exhausted and emotional that she debated calling Kara and Lena and canceling.

However, she didn't want to disappoint the two women who had been so kind to her so instead, she went home, changed into sweats, and binged some of The Fosters before she had to leave to go to Kara and Lena's.

As she took the elevator up to their place, she just wasn't feeling great. She was so tired and sad. She missed her mom and was heartbroken that she couldn't call the person who had always meant the most to her to talk about everything.

She made it to Kara and Lena's door, taking a breath before knocking.

"It's unlocked," she heard from inside, turning the handle and opening the door.

She walked in to find Kara leaning on the counter of the kitchen while Lena was getting plates and glasses out of the cabinet.

"Hey Nia," Kara said, smiling at the younger woman as she toed off her shoes, "We are just getting stuff for dinner. We ordered pizza and pot stickers and we have wine and root beer and ice cream and cookies and brownies for dessert."

"When Kara says 'we,'" Lena interrupted with a laugh, "She really means me."

"You can sit down on the couch," Kara said, sticking her tongue out at Lena as she talked, "We'll be there in a minute."

Nia nodded, sitting down on the couch.

When Kara and Lena walked over to the couch, they found Nia asleep on the couch.

"She looks so peaceful," Lena said, smiling at the younger woman.

"I don't think she's been sleeping well," Kara said with a sigh, "She looks exhausted at work every day."

"We should just let her sleep," Lena said, "We can go eat in our room or something."

Kara nodded in agreement, knowing the woman needed sleep. However, as Kara and Lena went to Leave, Nia woke up, rubbing her eyes.

"Did I fall asleep?" Nia asked, sitting up, "I'm so sorry?"

"Don't worry about it," Kara said as she and Lena brought the stuff over to the, "It's been a long week. Plus, sleep is important."

Nia nodded, moving over a little to let Kara and Lena sit down on the couch next to her.

"How are you doing?" Lena asked Nia as Kara grabbed a slice of pizza.

"I'm fine," Nia said, not really looking at the older women.

"You know you can talk to us," Kara said, looking over at Nia, "We are here for you. Both of us have gone through similar situations."

Nia just nodded, taking a piece of pizza and taking a small bite, yawning as she did so.

"You look exhausted," Lena said, looking over at the young reporter, "Have you been sleeping?"

Nia shrugged, not really wanting to get into it with the two women.

"You know I struggle with pretty bad insomnia sometimes?" Kara said, looking at Nia, "It really sucks. But you know what sometimes helps me be able to sleep? Talking about what's keeping me awake."

Lena nodded, taking her girlfriend's hand and rubbing small circles on it, knowing that talking about her mental health struggles was by no means Kara's favorite thing to do.

"I can't sleep," Nia said, looking at Kara and Lena for the first time since she got there, tears in her eyes, "Every time I close my eyes, I see my mom dying or my sister's disappointment or my failure to understand my powers."

"When was the last time you got a full night of sleep?" Kara asked softly, putting a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder.

"The night before my mom dies," Nia said, suddenly very interested in her hand.

"That was three weeks ago," Kara said, eyes wide.

"I know," Nia said, tears now running down her cheeks, "And I haven't been able to do anything right since. My sister is disappointed in me, my mom is gone and I can't turn to my sister, the one who actually understands my powers, with all the questions I have. And I can't get anything done at work because I'm so tired and I just miss my mom and want her back and she's gone and I don't know what to do."

Kara wrapped her arms around Nia and Lena quickly moved to the other side of the woman, doing the same.

"It's alright," Kara said, rubbing Nia's back gently, "It's alright. Let it out."

Nia just cried, finally letting out all the tears she had been holding in since her mom died. Lena and Kara just rubbed her back, trying to offer as much comfort as they could.

"I'm sorry," Nia said, sitting up after a bout ten minutes of crying, "I didn't mean to come here and hijack the night with my crying. I'm sorry. I'll just go. I'm sure you have better things to do than sit here and watch me act like a baby."

"You're not going anywhere," Lena said, stopping Nia before she could get up.

"Yeah," Kara said, nodding, "We want to be here for you. And help you if we can. We both lost our birth mothers. We know at least part of what you are going through and know how hard it can be."

"Really,"?" Nia said, looking at each of the women.

"Yeah," Kara said, nodding, "I lost everyone except my cousin when Krypton was destroyed when I was 12."

"And my mom died when I was almost 5," Lena said, "And that's when I went to live with the Luthors."

"How did you guys deal with it?" Nia asked, taking a tissue that Kara offered her.

"I had a really hard time," Kara said, looking at Nia, "I had nightmares for a really long time, sometimes I still do. But eventually I started trusting Alex and talked to her. I still call her every time I'm having a bad day, though now it's a little easier with Lena here. I still miss my mom every day though."

Lena squeezed Kara's hand, letting her know that she was there for her.

"And I really struggled when I was young," Lena said, "I mean, obviously, the family I got after my mom passed was nowhere near the family Kara got. Lillian is crazy and Lex is insane. When I was a teen, I often wondered what my life would be like if my mother had lived. It wasn't a good time in my life. Lex was on the verge of losing it and Lillian was in the middle of beginning her first of many plots. I was alone and seriously depressed. I ended up going to boarding school to finish high school and that's what saved my life. I ended up finding some friends and the distance between especially Lillian and I was incredibly helpful. I didn't really know what was going on with Lex at the time, but not having Lillian tell me telling me how useless I was was good. It never really completely went away. Whenever anything happens with Lex or Lillian, I find myself missing the mother I never really knew."

"Is it ever going to stop hurting so badly?" Nia asked, wiping her eyes.

"It won't ever go away," Kara said, shaking her head, "But you will start to feel better. And one day, you'll be able to think about your mom and not hurt so much. You'll be able to think of the good times. And hopefully your sister will come around."

Nia nodded, putting her head down on Kara's shoulder as tears filled her eyes again. Lena rubbed her back, trying to offer comfort. The CEO knew what it was like to have an older sibling disappoint you. When they were young, she and Lex were close and she idolized him.

Now, she barely even knew who he was. She hoped that Nia's sister would come around to the fact that Nia had gotten the powers, but she also knew there was a chance she wouldn't.

"Is there anything we can do for you right now?" Lena asked after a few minutes.

Nia just shook her head, just enjoying being with the two older women.

After a little while, Kara glanced down at Nia, seeing that the young reporter was asleep.

"She's out," Kara said to Lena, "Which is probably for the best. I knew she was having a hard time with her mom being gone, but I didn't realize how bad it was. I should have been checking in on her more. I see her every day. How could I have been so stupid?"

"It's not your fault," Lena said, shaking her head, "Everyone deals with grief differently. You are here for her now and that's what matters. Now is when she is ready to talk about it and you are here to listen."

Lena and Kara decided to lay Nia down on the couch so she could get some actual sleep.

The older women then went to the love seat in the same room, grabbing Lena's laptop before sitting down. They ate dinner and watched a movie with their headphones in so as not to disturb their sleeping friend. They didn't want to wake her, but they also didn't want to leave her alone because they knew she had been feeling alone for far too long.

They both knew that Nia was going to need them more than they had anticipated when she came over that night.

Kara leaned on Lena, enjoying the comfort of her girlfriend's embrace. It was almost like Lena knew when Kara needed her most. The reporter was really beating herself up for not noticing how much Nia had been struggling. She knew deep down it wasn't her fault, but she was with the younger woman every day and knew what it was like to lose parents. Lena just held Kara close, offering silent comfort and support.

After about three hours, Nia began to stir, rubbing her eyes as she woke up.

"Hey," Kara said, smiling at her friend, "How are you feeling?"

"Mhhh," Nia said, stretching a little, taking stock of her body which, she realized felt terrible, "Not great actually. I kinda feel like I have a fever."

Lena paused the movie they were watching as Kara got up, putting a hand on Nia's forehead.

"What is your normal temperature?" Kara asked as she put her hand on her friend's forehead.

"Typical human temperature," Nia said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Lena," Kara said, turning to her girlfriend for help.

Lena laughed as she got up, going to Nia.

"Kara runs hot," Lena explained as Nia looked at the older women, confused, "Typically like 100-101 so it's hard for her to tell if anyone who runs cooler has a fever. You definitely do Nia."

"It's probably because I haven't been sleeping well," Nia said, brushing it off as she started to sit up, "I just need to go home and sleep it off."

"Absolutely not," Kara said, shaking her head, "You are staying here until you're feeling better. We have a guest room for exactly this reason."

"I don't want to impose," Nia said, rubbing her bloodshot eyes, "I'm an adult. I can go home."

"No," Lena said, sitting down next to Nia, "We are not saying you are incapable of taking care of yourself because we know that you are perfectly capable of that. We want to help you though. It's nice to have someone take care of you when you aren't feeling well. Also, we don't get a lot of guests so it will be nice to have someone stay."

"Plus, Lena makes the best chicken soup," Kara said, smiling at her girlfriend.

Lena truly loved to cook and was quite good at it. She had learned while she was away at boarding school and had continued learning to make new dishes since. Cooking as a good stress reliever for her, and with Kara's love of food, it was perfect.

Kara learned about Lena's amazing chicken noodle soup not long after they started dating.

Kara had pushed herself too hard and blew her powers out. She then quickly came down with a terrible cold. She tried really hard to push through her work day, even meeting her girlfriend for lunch at her office as they did most days, especially earlier in their relationship.

Kara had fallen asleep on Lena's couch during lunch, prompting Lena to take the afternoon off to care for the sick woman. Lena had brought Kara home, tucked her into bed, and made her famous chicken soup. Kara felt absolutely terrible for a few days, but Lena and her cooking skills made it all just a little better.

"Come on," Kara said, going to Nia and helping her up, "Let's get you tucked in so you can start feeling better."

Kara helped Nia into the guest room as Lena went into the kitchen to get some water, a thermometer, and some Tylenol PM. Nia curled up under the covers, realizing just how terrible she was feeling.

"Alright," Lena said, coming into the room as Kara went to get some extra blankets just in case Nia needed them, "Let's see just how bad this fever is."

Lena handed Nia the thermometer, and the younger woman stuck it under her tongue.

"101.4," Lena said, taking the thermometer after it beeped, "That's not a great temperature. Does your metabolism work typically?"

"It's a little on the fast side," Nia said, "But I normally just take a double dose of medication, and it does the trick."

"Alright," Lena said, handing Nia four pills, "Take these and get some sleep. Do you need anything else?"

Nia shook her head as she took her as she took the pills before curling back up under the blankets.

"Get some sleep," Kara said, placing the extra blankets on the end of the bed, "And if you need anything, just text us."

Nia nodded, her eyes already closing.

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**So there it was! Or at least the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. As always, new prompts are always welcomed! I should get the next chapter up next weekend, although I am taking a trip so I might not have time to work on this while I'm gone. We shall see. **


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so sorry I didn't get a chance to publish last week. I went home for the weekend and was super busy. I don't think I even took out my laptop the whole weekend. But, anyways, here is the next chapter. **

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Lena and Kara left the younger woman alone to rest. They headed to the living room, Lena grabbing her phone as they sat down.

"I'm going to order some groceries so I can make soup tomorrow morning," Lena said, "Do we need anything else?"

"I don't think so," Kara said, shaking her head.

Lena quickly ordered her groceries for delivery before putting down her phone and leaning on Kara. The blonde woman adjusted them so they were reclining on the couch together with Lena in her lap. Kara ran her fingers through Lena's long, dark hair.

"That feels good," Lena said, closing her eyes as Kara continued.

"Good," Kara said, kissing Lena's cheek.

They just stayed there together for a while in silence before Kara spoke.

"Thank you for sharing about your mom with Nia," Kara said, "I know you don't share that with very many people, but I think it was good for her to hear."

"Of course," Lena said, smiling up at Kara.

"Are you doing alright?" Kara asked, "I know sometimes after you talk about your past, it brings up unwelcomed memories."

"I'm doing alright," Lena said, nodding, "I mean, you're right. I don't love the memories that come up when I talk about my family, but I think I'm gonna be alright this time."

Kara nodded, kissing Lena gently.

Lena had been diagnosed with very severe chronic anxiety and depression as well as a less severe case of PTSD. It ebbed and flowed, meaning that some days, Lena was able to function relatively normally, but some days, it was a struggle for her just to get out of bed. She was on medications that helped, but it wasn't perfect.

Lena knew she had been suffering with these issues for most of her life, but it wasn't until after she started dating Kara that she got officially diagnosed after Kara discovered just how truly debilitating Lena's symptoms could be. Lena had agreed, but only after Kara told her that she had been to see a therapist when she was younger and had been diagnosed with severe PTSD, anxiety, and mild depression.

Kara had worked hard as a younger woman to work through a lot, but she still struggled as well. After an exhausting session with a psychiatrist, Lena was diagnosed and prescribed medication to help. She was even given a mild tranquilizer for when her anxiety got so bad that she couldn't calm down.

Kara learned how to help Lena through everything that she was dealing with as Lena also learned to help Kara. The two would often laugh after a long, stressful week for their mental health that they were truly a hot mess of a couple.

They learned to lean on each other for support and to turn to Maggie and Alex when it became too much for them to deal with on their own. The older couple had plenty of mental health issues of their own so they knew how to help the younger two.

When Nia had completely broken down, Kara had actually thought about calling Alex but decided against it, at least for now.

"I'm glad I have you," Lena said, smiling up at Kara again, "I don't know what I would do without you."

"I don't know what I would do without you," Kara said, leaning down and kissing Lena again.

The two just sat together, enjoying each other's presence and warmth.

After the groceries were delivered, Lena and Kara went to bed, both completely exhausted from the long week.

Lena ended up having a little bit of a rough night, waking up three times with nightmares. Kara woke up every time because Lena tended to thrash and cry when she had nightmares.

Each time, after she helped Lena settle back down, Kara got up to check on Nia, who, probably thanks to the medicine Lena gave her, was asleep each time Kara checked.

Kara was exhausted when she woke up the next morning around seven. Lena was still asleep, but Kara heard noise from the other room so she got up.

That was one thing about having super hearing was she was easily woken up. Lena had had Alex help her line their apartment with lead sheets that they had designed together to help Kara with external noise.

However, they didn't line the internal walls so any noise in the apartment would often disrupt her sleep. She wandered into the living room and found Nia curled up on the couch, wide awake.

"Hey," Kara said, sitting down next to her friend, "Did you sleep alright?"

"Yeah," Nia said, nodding, "That's the longest I've slept in a really long time. I think I slept for like 6 hours straight."

Kara nodded, hating that the small amount of sleep Nia got was the longest she had slept in weeks.

"How are you feeling?" Kara asked as Nia leaned on her shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure I still have a fever," Nia said, shrugging, "I don't feel great. In any way really."

Kara nodded, knowing what Nia meant.

"Can I make you something for breakfast?" Kara asked, "Or rather, I was planning on ordering breakfast because I can't cook. We normally order from the diner down the street. I will get you anything you want."

"I'm not that hungry," Nia said, shaking her head.

"You need to eat," Kara said, "What do you like when you're not feeling terrible? Eggs, pancakes, French toast, cinnamon rolls?"

"I guess French toast," Nia said, shrugging her shoulders.

"How about Nutella stuffed French toast?" Kara said, "I know you like chocolate."

Nia nodded, closing her eyes. Kara grabbed her phone and placed an online order for delivery. Kara knew Lena's order by heart so she ordered food for all three of them.

"Is Lena still asleep?" Nia asked, eyes still closed.

"Yeah," Kara said, deciding not to tell Nia about the night they had had.

Lena was a very private person, especially when it came to anything that made her look weak. She typically alright with Kara talking to Alex or Maggie about anything that had happened, but she wasn't as close with Nia so Kara chose to use caution. Nia just took what Kara said and went with it.

The two of them just sat on the couch, Nia drifting in and out of sleep while Kara was on her phone. She was texting Alex, just checking in with her big sister and telling her about what had been going on.

Kara was careful not to tell Alex too much, not totally sure how comfortable Nia would be with her talking to Alex about her situation. Kara talked to her sister about other things, including their plans for a sister night the coming weekend.

Maggie had a two-day conference out of town meaning that Alex had their place to herself. Kara was going to spend the weekend with her big sister, and she was incredibly excited about it.

Ever since Alex and Maggie got married and Kara and Lena moved in together, the two sisters found it harder to spend one on one time together.

However, any chance they had to do so, they always jumped at. Both women, as well as their significant others, knew how important the relationship was and how much the two need their time together. The two had plans to just hang out, play games, watch movies, and eat junk food. They were currently discussing what movies they were going to watch, a hot topic among the two. Kara loved rom coms, but Alex's movies of choice were action or horror movies.

Alex had to shelf the conversation because she and Maggie had an appointment at a fertility clinic. They had decided they were maybe ready to have kids and were going to have their first consult to see what their options were. Kara put down her phone, looking up to see a pretty tired looking Lena coming into the room.

"Hey babe," Kara said, smiling at her girlfriend, "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Lena said, sitting down next to Kara, "Tired, but I'll be alright."

"Are you sure?" Kara said, kissing her girlfriend's forehead.

"Yeah," Lena said, nodding, "I mean, I think it might be a long day, but I feel alright."

"Good," Kara said, smiling at her, "I ordered breakfast."

"From the diner?" Lena asked, eyes wide with happiness.

"Yep," Kara said, nodding.

"Did you get stuffed French toast?" Lena asked hopefully.

"Of course," Kara said, smiling at her girlfriend, "What else would I get you?"

Lena smiled, leaning in to kiss Kara.

"How is Nia doing?" Lena asked, seeing that the younger woman was currently asleep.

"She's still got a fever," Kara said, sighing, "And she said she's not feeling great in any way really. Grief sucks."

Lena nodded, knowing how right her girlfriend was.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Kara got up and went to the door, getting the bags of food from the delivery woman, giving her a nice tip.

She then brought the food into the kitchen as Lena got up off the couch to join her girlfriend. There were three bags of food that contained three boxes each. Lena laughed as Kara took out the food, knowing full well that all but two, maybe three of those boxes would be eaten by the superhero.

Nia looked up over the couch to see what Lena and Kara were doing.

"Are you hungry?" Kara asked, already putting part of a cinnamon roll in her mouth.

"Not really," Nia said, shaking her head as she laid back down.

"Not even for Nutella stuffed French toast?" Lena asked, opening the box and knowing it must have been for Nia because Kara wasn't a huge fan of it, and she preferred ricotta stuffed French toast.

"Maybe a little," Nia said, not totally sure if she was hungry or not.

She hadn't been super hungry since everything that happened, but she knew she needed to eat. Kara took the container that had Nia's food, as well as her own food, and brought them to the couch as Lena followed.

The three women ate their food, not talking much. Lena's phone rang as they were eating, and she stepped into the bedroom to take it.

"Do you like the food?" Kara asked, seeing that Nia had eaten at least a little bit of food.

"Yeah," Nia said, taking another bite, "I didn't know how hungry I was."

"Good," Kara said, smiling, "And if you still want more food after that, I have more food. I always order a bunch because I have a crazy metabolism, but I think I might have ordered more that even I can eat right now."

Nia nodded as Lena came out of the master bedroom.

"I have to go in for a few hours," she said with a sigh, "They can't figure out the lastest protocol. I thought we ironed out all the kinks this week, but I guess not. It should just be for a few hours, but I'll call if it's going to be longer."

Kara got up and followed Lena into their room as the CEO went to get dressed.

"Are you sure you want to go in today?" Kara asked, sitting down on the bed as Lena went into the closet.

"I don't want to go in," Lena said, coming out of the closet with a blouse on, grabbing a pair of jeans out of her drawer in their dresser, "But we have to finish this because the investors are coming on Monday. We thought we had it which is why I took off early yesterday and didn't plan on working today. I'll be fine."

"Alright," Kara said, watching Lena pull her hair into a quick braid, "I'm only a call away if you need me. I'll miss you while you're gone."

"I'll miss you too," Lena said, tying off her braid, "Shoot, I was going to make soup for Nia."

"Leave me the recipe," Kara said, "I can do it."

"I'll call Maggie and see if she's come over and do it. You and Alex suck at cooking. No offense, but Nia already feels terrible. She doesn't need food poisoning on top of it."

"Hey," Kara said, sticking her tongue out playfully at her girlfriend, "I'm not that bad."

"Kara, you gave me, Alex, and Maggie food poisoning last year when you tried to make us fried rice," Lena said, kissing Kara gently, "And Alex told me that right after she and Maggie started dating, she gave the two of them food poisoning so bad that they had to be in the DEO med wing for three days. Clearly, neither of you got Eliza's cooking skills."

"At least I can bake," Kara said defensively, following Lena as she left their bedroom and headed to the front door.

"That is true," Lena said, kissing Kara as she left, "I'll call if it's going to be more than a few hours. And I'll let you know if Maggie and Alex are coming over to cook."

"Alright," Kara said, "I love you."

"Love you too," Lena said, closing the door behind her.

Kara went back over to the couch, seeing that Nia was waking up.

"Hey," Kara said, seeing the younger woman's eyes opening.

"Hey," Nia said, sitting up a little, "Man, I forgot how terrible a fever makes me feel."

"Yeah," Kara said, nodding, "Being sick sucks. I don't get sick often, but the few times I have, it's always been terrible."

"I didn't know you could get sick," Nia said, taking a glass of ice water Kara left for her.

Nia had only known Kara was Supergirl for three weeks and wasn't quite privy to everything about her mentor's super powers.

"I normally can't," Kara said, "But there are times when I push too hard and basically blow out my powers. During those times, I have no powers and next to no immune system. I get sick almost every time I blow out my powers. It doesn't happen often, as long as I get enough sleep, eat enough, and try not to work too long and push too hard. It does still happen though."

"That sounds terrible," Nia said, yawning.

"It's not too bad," Kara said, shrugging, "Lena and Alex always take good care of me when I get sick."

"Good," Nia said, smiling.

"What would you like to do?" Kara asked, looking over at Nia.

"Can we just watch movies?" Nia asked, "I don't really feel like getting up."

"Alright," Kara said, going over and turning on the TV, "Any preferences?"

Nia shook her head, taking a blanket from the back of the couch, wrapping it around her tired body. She knew the fever was probably just from exhaustion. It had happened before when she was younger, during college, but it didn't make it any more pleasant to feel this terrible.

Nia drifted in and out, not really able to keep her eyes open but also not able to stay asleep.

When she in college, she stayed up for a week trying to finish and perfect her final senior thesis. She did incredibly well on it but landed herself in bed for two days with a nasty fever.

She swore she would never let it happen again, but yet here she was, having not slept for any decent amount in weeks and felling absolutely miserable yet again. She really wanted her mom. She was always so great when she got sick, making her soup and watching movies with her and hold her close when she felt terrible.

Kara and Lena were doing a good job being there for her and treating her well, but she still missed her mom.

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**So there it was. I have at least some of the next chapter written, and it's going to have Alex and Maggie in it. I also started another story that I will publish after this one that's focused on Alex and Maggie earlier in their relationship. As always, prompts always welcomed! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. Not much to say here except enjoy this chapter! I really like it! **

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Nia woke up a little as Kara got up off the couch and went to the door. She wasn't totally sure how long it had been since they sat down, but she was fairly sure that they were either on their second or third movie.

She heard the door open and looked up to see who was there. She saw Maggie and Alex walk in, each of them hugging Kara as they walked in. Nia sat up a little, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Hey Nia," Alex said, seeing the woman sitting up, "Kara said you're feeling pretty terrible."

"I think it's just from exhaustion," Nia said, wrapping herself in a blanket, chills coming over her suddenly.

"It's still not fun to have a fever," Maggie said, offering a sympathetic smile, "Which is exactly why I am here. I'm going to make you some chicken soup, and Alex is going to check you out and see if there's anything she can do to help you feel better."

"You guys didn't have to do that," Nia said, wrapping the blanket tighter.

"But we wanted to," Alex said, going over to the couch as Maggie headed into the kitchen to start cooking.

Alex sat down next to the younger woman, frowning a little when she saw how sick and tired she looked.

"Is anything bothering you besides the fever?" Alex asked, taking out her stethoscope and thermometer.

"Not really," Nia said, shaking her head, "I mean, my body is achy, and I have a headache, but I think that's just from the fever. I honestly think it's just from being exhausted."

"How long had it been since you slept?" Alex asked, running her thermometer over Nia's forehead.

"Three weeks," Nia said, a little confused because she assumed Kara had told her sister everything, "Didn't Kara tell you?"

"I wasn't sure how much you wanted me to share," Kara said, coming over to join her sister and Nia, "I wanted to respect your privacy."

"Thanks," Nia said, smiling at Kara, "That really means a lot. My mom passed away three weeks ago, and some other stuff happened with my sister after that. I haven't really been sleeping well since then."

"I understand," Alex said, nodding, "It's not easy losing a parent. I pretty much lost my dad when I was 14."

"Pretty much?" Nia asked, a little confused.

"It's complicated," Kara and Alex said at the same time, smiling sadly at each other.

"It's another story for another day," Alex said, changing the subject, "Your temp is 101.3. Not too terrible, but bad enough to make you feel pretty terrible. Can I listen to your lungs? I just want to make sure there's nothing else going on."

Nia nodded, letting Alex use her stethoscope to listen to her heart and lungs. Alex then looked in her mouth and ears before putting away her equipment.

"Everything seems normal," Alex said, looking at Nia, "Other than the fever. You probably just need rest and some decent nutrition, and you'll be feeling better soon, at least physically."

"Thanks," Nia said, rewrapping herself in the blanket.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Kara asked, looking at Nia.

"Just letting me be here is helping," Nia said, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Do you want to take some more Tylenol PM and go take a nap in the guest room?" Kara asked, seeing how terrible Nia seemed to be feeling.

"Yeah," Nia said, nodding, "I think that might be a good idea."

Maggie brought the medication in from the kitchen, handing Nia two.

"Can I have two more?" Nia asked, seeing Maggie's weird reaction to her question, "I metabolize things faster than humans."

Maggie nodded, remembering that the younger woman was also an alien like her sister-in-law as she handed her two more pills. Nia took the medication before getting up off the couch, heading into the bedroom.

"She looks terrible," Alex said to Kara after Nia shut the door.

"I know," Kara said, nodding, "It kinda reminds me of you in the weeks after Jeremiah went missing the first time."

"And the second time," Maggie chimed in from the kitchen.

"It was bad," Alex nodded, agreeing with both of them, "Both times."

"We told her a little bit about what we went through last night," Kara said.

"It's crazy that we've all been through losing at least one parent in some way," Alex said, shaking her head, "Even if they aren't actually gone."

"Speaking of parents," Kara said, changing the subject, "How was your consult today?"

"It went well," Maggie said as Kara and Alex came into the kitchen, "We heard about all of our options."

"Have you guys made any decisions about anything?" Kara asked, grabbing a container of yogurt out of the fridge.

"We think that both of us are going to try to have our eggs retrieved and fertilized," Alex said, "I'm not sure how successful I am going to be with it because of my PCOS, but I'm gonna try."

"And so am I," Maggie said, nodding, "The doctor is pretty optimistic about our chances."

"That's so exciting," Kara said, smiling at her sister and sister-in-law, "Have you decided about timing yet?"

"We are thinking in the spring," Maggie said, adding the chicken to the pot, "We're not quite ready yet, in any way. We need to finish saving up for it and get ready mentally and physically too."

"I am so happy for you two," Kara said, hugging her sister and Maggie, "I can't wait to be Auntie Kara."

Maggie and Alex smiled. It had been a long road to deciding to have kids.

Maggie didn't really want to be a mom, afraid she wouldn't be good at it because of her rocky relationship with her own parents. Alex wanted to be a mom more than anything. It had almost broken them up just before their wedding, but after several long talks, a few fights, and a lot of tears, they decided to stay together and have kids, but wait at least two years before they started pursuing it.

"When is Lena gonna be home?" Maggie asked, sautéing the chicken.

"I don't know," Kara said, looking down at her phone, "She wasn't sure how long it was going to take today. She was hoping just a few hours, but it might take longer. She said she would call if it took longer than she expected."

Just then, Kara's phone rang and Lena's name came across her screen.

"It's Lena," Kara said, answering the phone, "Hey babe."

"Hey," Lena said, her voice sounding tired.

"Oh no," Kara said, walking into the living room as she talked, "Are you stuck there?"

"For at least a few more hours," Lena said, yawning a little, "I should be home by dinner time hopefully."

"Are you doing alright?" Kara asked, worrying about her girlfriend.

"Yeah," Lena said, "I mean, I definitely could be better, but I've worked through worse. I'll be alright when I home."

"Alright," Kara said, sighing, "Well, if you need anything, just call. Maggie's here making soup so there'll be some really good dinner ready when you get home."

"Sounds great," Lena said, smiling, "I'll see you soon. Love you."

"Love you too," Kara said, hanging up.

"Is Lena alright?" Alex asked, coming and sitting down next to Kara.

"Yeah," Kara said, nodding as she looked at her phone, "She's gonna be home around dinner time hopefully."

"That's good," Alex said, not really understanding why Kara looked so concerned, "So what's wrong?"

"How do you know something's wrong?" Kara asked, looking at her big sister as Maggie came into the room.

"Crinkle," both Maggie and Alex said, laughing a little.

Kara gave them a look before sighing.

"I'm just worried about Lena," Kara said, "I mean, she's fine. She just had a rough night last night, and I know she's tired. I was hoping we would just be able to relax today, but of course that didn't happen because of work."

"Well, I know she had that new tech that their pitching Monday so maybe after that, she can take some time off if she needs too," Alex said, reaching over and giving Kara's shoulder a squeeze.

Kara nodded, knowing her sister was right. The three women spent the afternoon working on various projects for work. Kara had a story she needed to get done for Monday, Alex had some reports to finish filing from a new alien they had found earlier that week, and Maggie always had a never-ending pile of paperwork to do.

Around three, they heard a door open and a very tired looking Nia came out of the guest bedroom.

"Hey," Kara said, setting down her laptop and making room for Nia next to her on the couch, "Did you sleep well?"

"Not really," Nia said, shaking her head, "I kept having nightmares. I didn't actually get a lot of sleep, but it's fine."

"I'm sorry," Kara said as Nia put her head down on Kara's shoulder, "Is there anything we can do?"

"I miss my mom," Nia said, tears running down her face.

"I know," Kara said, rubbing Nia's back.

Alex brought over a box of tissues while Maggie went to grab a glass of water. Nia just cried, letting out a lot of the feelings she had been holding in for the past three weeks. Alex sat down on the other side of Nia, just placing a hand on the grieving girl's back. Nia sobbed for a good half hour before she finally started to calm down.

"Sorry," she said, grabbing a tissue and wiping her nose.

"Don't apologize," Maggie said, shaking her head, "It's good to get the emotions out. We've all been there."

Nia nodded, taking a drink of water.

"I have barely cried since she died," Nia said, rubbing the tears away from her eyes, "I felt like there was something wrong with me."

"I don't think I cried for a month after our dad disappeared the first time," Alex said, nodding her head, "I was just so angry. And the second time it happened, I cried every day for two straight weeks. Everyone grieves differently."

Maggie and Kara nodded in agreement, knowing what Alex said was true.

"Thanks for being here for me," Nia said, looking at all the women, "It really means a lot."

"Of course," Maggie said, smiling at Nia, "We all know what it's like. And we've all felt alone while we were grieving before. It's not fun."

"Can we get you anything?" Alex asked.

"I'm good," Nia said, shaking her head.

"How are you feeling physically?" Kara asked, not sure if Nia still had a fever or not.

"Still feverish," Nia said, shrugging, "I'm sure it will go away once I get some sleep."

"Would you like to watch a movie?" Kara asked, "Or a show or something?"

"I actually just kinda wanna listen to some music," Nia said, "I have headphones in my bag so you don't all have to listen."

"You can use them if you want," Maggie said, "Or, we could play your music through Kara's speakers. I don't mind listening to music while I work, and I know there two don't either."

Kara and Alex nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Nia said, handing Kara her phone so she could connect it.

Once the phone was ready, Kara handed it back to Nia who turned on her music. She then closed her eyes, leaning back on the couch. The three other women went back to work, continuing on with what they had been working on all afternoon.

Around 5, Maggie went into the kitchen, checking on the soup.

"Dinner's ready," Maggie said, stirring the pot, "Whenever anyone wants it."

"I'm starving," Kara said, looking up from her work at the mention of food.

"You're always starving," Alex said, laughing at her younger sister.

"True," Kara said, getting up, "But all I ate for lunch was a yogurt so I have a right to be starving."

"Where's Lena?" Nia asked from her place on the couch, "I thought she was only leaving for a few hours."

"It took longer than she thought," Alex explained, seeing Kara's face fall a little, "She should be back soon."

"Yeah," Kara said, grabbing her phone, "I'm gonna go call her right now."

Kara disappeared into the master bedroom. She tried calling Lena, but her girlfriend didn't pick up. She knew that Lena often left her phone off while she was working in her lab to prevent distractions so she sent her a text and went back to join everyone else.

"When's she coming home?" Maggie asked as she heard the door open.

"She didn't answer," Kara said, going into the kitchen where Alex was scooping herself some soup, "She's probably still working."

"She'll be home soon Kar," Alex said, looking at Kara, "And I'm sure she's fine."

Kara nodded, grabbing a bowl of soup. She sat back down next to Nia who already had a bowl and was eating it happily. They all ate dinner before popping on a movie, deciding to just relax for the rest of the evening.

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**So there it was. I'm not sure how I'm going to end this story, but I'm thinking it has maybe one or two more chapters coming. I also have another story I'm working on focused on Alex and Maggie. And I just got an amazing prompt earlier today that I'm super excited to figure out and write for. As always, prompts and feedback always welcomed. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it! **

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Around 8 pm, Kara's phone lit up. It was a text from Lena saying that she was probably going to end up being in the lab until 2 or 3 am at the earliest. Alex saw Kara's face fall as she looked at her phone and gave her sister a questioning look. Kara just shook her head, going into her bedroom to clear her head. Alex followed her, giving Maggie's hand a squeeze to reassure her that everything was fine.

"Can I come in?" Alex asked softly, knocking on Kara's door.

"Yeah," Kara called as Alex opened the door.

"What happened?" Alex asked, sitting down next to Kara.

"Lena's stuck at work, possibly all night," Kara said, sighing, "I hate when this happens. If it's going so badly that she's gonna be there that late, she's going to be really hard on herself because she can't figure it out. Plus, I know she's not eating because she never does when she works this hard, and she's not going to get good sleep. It all just worries me. She's fine. She'll be fine, but I just worry about her."

"I know," Alex said, wrapping her arm around her sister, "Why don't you go check on her?"

"I can't leave Nia," Kara said, sighing, "She's not alright, and I promised to be here for her."

"Maggie and I are here with her," Alex said, "I mean, we aren't planning on spending the night or anything, but we can stay here for a half an hour so you can go bring Lena some food and check on her. It would probably be good for both of you."

"I'd have to make sure Nia is alright with staying here with you two," Kara said, looking at her sister, "But that would be great."

"Good," Alex said, "Go talk to Nia. I'm sure she'll be fine with it. Do you want me to get some food ready for Lena?"

"No," Kara said, shaking her head, "I'm going to go swing by the café in Paris she likes so much and grab her something."

"Alright," Alex said, laughing a little.

That sentence coming from anyone but her little sister would sound bizzare, but for Kara, it was pretty normal. The two went out to the living room, finding Nia half asleep on the couch and Maggie curled up on the love seat, eyes closed.

"It's been a long week," Alex explained, "She was really nervous about the appointment today which kicked up her anxiety all week. That, coupled with the short-staffing at the precinct has not been great for sleep."

"I'm glad she's sleeping now," Kara said, "You should just take her home."

"She'll be fine on your couch for a while," Alex said, "I'll cuddle with her and she won't know the difference."

"Nia," Kara said, going over to her friend, "Would you be alright staying here with Alex and Maggie for a little bit? If not, I can stay."

"I'm fine," Nia said, rubbing her eyes, "I'm probably just going to sleep. Where are you going?"

"To take Lena some dinner," Kara said, "She got held up at work, and I'm gonna go bring her some food."

"You two are so cute," Nia said, yawning, "Go, bring your girlfriend dinner. I'll be fine here."

"Alright," Kara said, pulling off her glasses, "Alex and Maggie are here if you need anything."

Nia nodded, eyes closing again.

"Call if you need anything," Alex said, giving her sister a hug.

"Thanks Alex," Kara said, flying away.

Kara quickly went to Paris and grabbed what she needed before flying to L-Corp.

She went to Lena's office first, finding it empty. She left the food there, knowing that Lena didn't ever eat in her lab. She then went downstairs to the lab, finding Lena working on something.

"Hey Babe," Kara said, going to the dark-haired woman.

Lena startled a little, looking up at Kara.

"Hey," Lena said, "What are you doing here?"

"I brought you some food," Kara said, "I left it in your office. I just wanted to make sure you got some food, and I wanted to check in with you."

"Thanks," Lena said, smiling at her girlfriend, "I'm good. I don't really have time to take a break though."

"Just ten minutes," Kara said, taking Lena's hand, "Please? I went to Paris and got you that sandwich you love from the café by the Eiffel tower and an assortment of eclairs and macarons."

"Really?" Lena said, looking at Kara with tired eyes.

"Yes really," Kara said, nodding, "What good is dating a superhero if you don't get your favorite foods out of it every once in a while."

Lena smiled at Kara, following her up to her office. Lena sat down, practically inhaling the sandwich.

"Thanks Kara," Lena said, smiling, "I really appreciate this."

"I just wanted to check on you," Kara said, rubbing Lena's back, "I know this is a big project, and I also know you didn't get great sleep last night and I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'll be alright," Lena said, not meeting Kara's eyes, "It hasn't been the best day, but I've had worse."

"I know," Kara said, kissing Lena gently on the cheek, "But just because it's been worse doesn't mean it's not still bad."

"I have to get this done," Lena said, wiping a stray tear from her face, "It has to work for the investors on Monday. And after that, I can deal with how I'm feeling now which isn't great, but I'll manage."

"Do you want me to stay?" Kara asked as Lena put her head on her shoulder.

"No," Lena said, picking up her head and shaking it, "It will just make it harder. I love you, I really do, but I just need to concentrate and keep everything in its place and with you here, it's a lot harder to do that."

"Alright," Kara said, knowing what Lena was talking about, "Well, I'm just a phone call away if you need me."

"Thank you for bringing me dinner," Lena said, giving Kara a kiss, "And for coming by. I'll hopefully be home by morning."

"I love you," Kara said, holding Lena close for a minute, "Call me or text me if you need anything."

"I love you too," Lena said, enjoying just being close to Kara.

A minute later, Lena pushed away, heading back to her lab as Kara flew off. Kara flew around the equator a few times, trying to calm her thoughts before heading home. She got home, changing out of her supersuit before going into the living room.

"Hey," Alex said from her place on the couch with Maggie sleeping in her lap, "How was Lena?"

"We will deal with it when she finishes her research," Kara said, sitting down on the couch next to a sleeping Nia, "She's not great, but there's nothing I can do right now. You know how it is. You're the same way."

Alex nodded, knowing her sister was right.

"You guys can go home," Kara said, "I'm not going to leave the rest of the night. Nia and I are good."

"Alright," Alex said, gently shaking Maggie, "Babe, come on. Let's go home."

"I'm comfy," Maggie said, snuggling into Kara, "Can't I sleep here?"

"No," Alex laughed, kissing Maggie on the cheek, "Our bed is much comfier than Kara's love seat. Come on. Let's go home."

"Fine," Maggie said, opening her eyes.

"Bye Kara," Alex said, hugging her sister, "Call if you need anything, just call or text me."

"Bye Kara," Maggie said sleepily.

"Bye guys," Kara said, "Thanks for your help."

"I'll call you tomorrow," Alex said, leading Maggie out the door.

Once Maggie and Alex left, Kara turned her attention back to Nia.

"Hey," Kara said, shaking the sleeping woman a little, "Come on Nia. Let's get you up so you can get some good sleep."

Nia stirred a little, opening her eyes.

"You need to take some more meds then go to sleep," Kara said, helping Nia sit up, "Come on. Let's go."

Nia got up, following Kara into the guest room where Kara gave her some meds and tucked her into bed.

"I'll be up for a while if you need anything," Kara said, "Get some sleep."

Nia was already out by the time Kara closed the door. Kara went out to the couch, deciding to write to distract her form the fact that her girlfriend was gone for the night. She stayed up for hours, writing in her journal.

It was just before dawn when she ended up falling asleep on the couch, her laptop still on her lap.

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**So there it was. I have one more chapter of this story. I have been super inspired lately to write so there is a lot coming up. I'm contimplating writing another Grey's story focused on Jo and Alex. I personally think they are the best couple on that show. I don't know. As always, any story prompts are always welcome. The next story I'm going to publish after I finish this one is and Alex/Maggie centered story that I think is adorable. **


	5. Chapter5

**This is the final chapter of this story! I hope you like it! **

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"Kara," Nia said, shaking her mentor around 9 am when she woke up.

"Wha… oh, hey Nia," Kara said, sitting up, "What are you doing up?"

"It's 9 am," Nia said, laughing a little, "Did you sleep here all night?"

"I didn't sleep much," Kara said, rubbing her eyes, "But clearly you did. Did you sleep all night?"

"Pretty much," Nia said, "I woke up once or twice with a nightmare, but that's the most sleep I've gotten in forever. I think my fever broke too."

"Good," Kara said, smiling at the younger woman, "That's good."

"I think I'm going to head home," Nia said, "I need a shower and some new clothes, and I'm sure you want your place back."

"I don't mind having you here," Kara said, shaking her head, "Neither does Lena, although she hasn't really been here much."

"I really appreciate it," Nia said, "I do. But I'm feeling better, physically and mentally."

"Alright," Kara said, yawning, "If you need anything, day or night, call, text, or come over."

"Thanks," Nia said, hugging Kara as she got up, "I'll see you at work tomorrow."

Kara nodded as Nia left.

Once Nia was gone, Kara went into her bathroom, taking a quick shower and changing her clothes before checking her phone. Lena hadn't texted or called so Kara shot her a quick message, just checking in.

She really wanted to go over and check on her girlfriend, but she knew better than to do that because Lena wanted her space.

Kara spent the rest of the day baking. She baked muffins and brownies and cookies and cupcakes. When she was stressed, it was her go to activity.

By the evening, Lena still wasn't home. She had texted Kara and said she had a few more things to finish up and that she would sleep her office because the pitch was first thing in the morning.

Kara didn't like it, but she let Lena do what she needed to. Kara was just about to go to sleep when there was a knock at the door.

She was confused and went to answer the door, checking first with her x-ray vision to see who it was. She saw Nia standing outside, tears running down her cheeks.

"Hey," Kara said, opening the door as Nia fell into her open arms, "Hey, it's alright. I gotcha."

"I tried to go to sleep at my house," Nia said, sobbing, "But I just kept thinking about my mom, and I couldn't sleep and I don't even know why I came. I should just go."

"No," Kara said, shaking her head, "You're not going anywhere. You can sleep here again. You can sleep here as long as you need to. We have a guest room for a reason. It's not for her family because they are never allowed to come visit and my mom comes twice a year and stays with us once. The room is empty other than that."

Nia nodded, coming into the apartment with Kara. Kara smiled, seeing that Nia had packed what looked like an overnight bag. She was glad her friend was finally willing to turn to her when she needed help.

"Do you want to sleep now?" Kara asked, "Or we can talk if you want. I'm not particularly tired."

"Can we talk for a little bit?" Nia asked softly, not really looking at Kara.

"Of course," Kara said, guiding Nia to the couch.

Nia ended up telling Kara about some memories she had of her mom from when she was young. They were happy memories, but Nia ended up sobbing in Kara's arms again.

By the time Nia calmed down and was ready for bed, it was after 3 am. Kara was exhausted and knew Nia was too. She decided to text James before she went to bed and tell him that both of them needed the morning off.

As she expected, she didn't get a response, but she knew James would be fine because their weekly meeting this week was a lunch meeting. She knew she and Nia would make it in for a lunch meeting. She had kind of a hard time sleeping without Lena again, but she managed to get a few hours.

Around 10, she was shaken awake.

"Kara," Nia said, eyes wide, "We overslept and missed work. James is gonna be so mad."

"No," Kara said, shaking her head as she woke up, "I texted James last night and told him we were taking the morning off. We do need to get going though because the weekly meeting starts at noon."

"Oh," Nia said, relief falling over her face, "Alright. Can I take a shower?"

"Yeah," Kara said, nodding, "I only need like two minutes to get ready."

Nia nodded, going to shower before wandering into the kitchen with wet hair.

"Where did all this stuff come from?" the younger woman asked, seeing the plastic containers and plates filled with baked goods.

"I bake when I'm stressed," Kara said, "So I spent all of yesterday afternoon baking. Take whatever you want."

"Thanks," Nia said, grabbing a muffin and taking a bite, "This is amazing."

"Thanks," Kara said, smiling, "I'm gonna go get ready. We can go in early before the meeting if you want."

"I can be ready to go in like 20 minutes," Nia said, taking another bite of her muffin.

"Sounds good," Kara said, speeding off to go get ready.

Before Nia even finished her breakfast, Kara was dressed and ready to go. Nia then went and got herself ready before they both headed into work.

They worked until their meeting, Nia finding that she was a lot more focused on her work. She finally started making progress on her story.

Kara, however, was distracted. She kept checking her phone, knowing Lena's meeting should be done with her investor meeting sometime between 12 and 1.

"Hey James," Kara said, going into her boss's office not long after they got in.

"Hey Kara," James said, smiling at his friend, "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Kara said, smiling back at James, "I know I already asked for the morning off, but I was hoping that after our meeting, I could work from home for the rest of the day. I have two articles that are ready to go for this week, and I have stuff that I'm planning on working on this week and…"

"Kara," James said, cutting her off, "What's going on?"

"Lena had a stressful weekend," Kara said, not really sure how much she wanted to say, "And I think she's gonna need me this afternoon. I can work this afternoon though, just not here."

"Just take the afternoon," James said, "You have plenty of time saved up, and I know how Lena gets when she's been really stressed. Just take the time off and spend it with Lena."

"Thanks," Kara said, "I'm gonna go make sure everything is ready so I can take off as soon as the meeting's over."

"Sounds good," James said as Kara left his office.

Kara got everything in order, telling Nia that she was going to take the afternoon off. She told her mentee that she could send her anything she wanted to have her look over and also told her she was welcome to come by later that night if she wanted or needed to.

They then went to their weekly meeting. Kara tried to concentrate on the meeting, but she just kept checking her phone to see if Lena had texted her.

When the meeting ended at 2, and she still hadn't heard from her, Kara was worried. She left as soon as the meeting was out and went straight to L-Corp. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found Lena sitting at her desk.

"Hey," Kara said, going up to her girlfriend, "How was the pitch?"

Lena looked up at Kara with puffy eyes, tears running down her face.

"Oh Babe," Kara said, immediately wrapping her arms around her girlfriend, "What happened?"

Lena just cried into Kara's chest, not able to speak.

"Can I take you home?" Kara asked softly, knowing that whatever was going on, it would be better handled at home.

Lena nodded, letting Kara hold her close as she picked her up to fly them home. When they got home, Kara carefully brought Lena into the bedroom, sitting down on their bed. Lena's sobs had slowed down some so Kara decided to try to get her talking again.

"Lena," Kara said, moving so she could see her girlfriend's face, "I know you're tired and were super stressed all weekend. Is that what this is?"

Lena shook her head, tears spilling over her eyelids again.

"Not all of it," Lena said, trying not to keep crying, "My mom came by yesterday."

"Oh Babe," Kara said, holding Lena close, "I'm so sorry. I thought you had her banned from L-Corp."

"I was there working alone," Lena said, "And she got in somehow. She spent over an hour berating what I was doing, and it set me back in trying to get the project finished so I didn't get it done until an hour before the investors got there, and I really messed up the pitch."

"So the investors backed out?" Kara said, clearly worried.

"No," Lena said, shaking her head, "Somehow, they still agreed even with how terrible I sounded."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Kara said, rubbing Lena's back.

"It was," Lena said, tears running down her face, "It was bad. I could barely think straight. And then I had a panic attack right after they left which was great."

"Why didn't you call?" Kara asked gently, not wanting to upset Lena, "I would have been there in minutes."

"I know," Lena said, sniffling, "I just, I don't know."

Lena started crying again, barely able to catch her breath. Kara just held her close, trying to help her calm down.

Eventually, Lena just fell asleep on Kara's chest, the days of not sleeping catching up to her. Kara just held her close, running her hand up and down Lena's back gently.

Kara got a message from Alex, asking if she wanted to help on a DEO mission later that day. Kara replied with a picture of a sleeping Lena, telling her sister she wouldn't be joining them. Alex asked if Lena was alright, and Kara told her that she wasn't but that she had it handled. Alex offered to come by if they needed anything later.

Kara then closed her eyes for a few minutes, having not slept well herself the past few nights with Lena gone. However, Lena started thrashing around not long after she fell asleep, crying in her sleep.

"Lena," Kara said, gently shaking her girlfriend, "Lee, babe, you gotta wake up." Lena's eyes shot open, tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm right here," Kara said, letting Lena cuddle into her chest, "I've got you."

Lena just cried, clinging to Kara. This was something Kara was used to unfortunately. Kara tried to help Lena learn to balance work and rest, but it was something the CEO really struggled with.

Normally, Kara would pretty much force Lena to come home, but she knew how important what she had been working on was so she had let her go.

However, by doing that, she knew the rest of the week was going to be rough.

"Babe," Kara said as she felt Lena's tears slowing down, "How about we get you something to eat? We have leftover soup Maggie made the other night or I baked a lot this weekend."

"Did you make chocolate chip muffins?" Lena asked, wiping tears away from her eyes.

"Of course," Kara said, nodding, "Do you want to come into the kitchen to eat or eat here?"

"Kitchen," Lena said, moving to get up, "I need to get up anyways. I want to shower and change into something besides my dress."

"Alright," Kara said, helping Lena up and guiding her into the kitchen.

"Oh Kara," Lena said, seeing how many different baked goods were in their kitchen, "Are you alright?"

"I was just worried about you," Kara said, not looking at Lena.

"I'm sorry," Lena said, going to Kara, "I didn't mean to worry you."

"I know," Kara said, looking at Lena this time, "But I always worry about you. It's not a big deal. Plus, now we have a ton of baked goods that will last at least the next few days."

Lena smiled a little, taking a small bite of the muffin Kara offered her. She knew her girlfriend was an amazing baker, but the muffin just didn't taste good to her at all.

"Not hungry?" Kara asked, watching Lena just kind pick at her muffin.

"I'm sorry," Lena said, shaking her head, "I'm not feeling super great all of the sudden. I think it's from not sleeping. Can we just take a shower and sleep?"

"Of course," Kara said, helping Lena up and into the bathroom.

They showered quickly before Kara helped Lena into one of her old college sweatshirts that Lena loved to wear when she wasn't doing well.

"Let's get some sleep," Kara said, cuddling Lena close to her chest.

Unfortunately for Lena, she woke up from a panic attack within ten minutes of falling asleep. Kara held her close as she struggled to calm down.

"Lena," Kara said, once her girlfriend had calmed down, "I think it's time to take your rescue medication. You need sleep, and I can feel the anxiety rolling off of you. There's no way you are going to sleep when you're like this."

"I don't like taking it," Lena said, tears rolling out of her swollen eyes.

"I know," Kara said, rubbing Lena's back, "I know, but I can't stand seeing you like this."

Lena nodded, knowing she needed to sleep. She was starting to feel really nauseous, which was normal when she didn't sleep.

Kara grabbed the bottle of Lena's rescue clonazepam and gave her one tablet. It wasn't often that Lena needed the medication, but Kara was glad they had it when she needed it. Kara often wished that she had something to take when the anxiety got so bad that she couldn't move, but nothing was strong enough to overcome her Kryptonian metabolism.

Within ten minutes of taking the medication, Lena passed out on Kara's chest.

Kara fell asleep quickly after her, not waking up until she heard a knock at her door. Kara got up, carefully moving Lena off of her. She then went to the door, seeing that it was Nia again.

"Hey," Kara said, smiling at the younger woman, "How was the rest of the day?"

"I got somewhere with my article," Nia said, a small smile on her face, "And I felt good about what I got done. And then I went home, and I just don't think I can be there."

"I understand," Kara said, putting an arm around her friend, "Come on in. I need to order some dinner. Lena's sleeping in our room, and I'm not sure how long she's gonna sleep, but when she gets up, she's going to need to eat."

"I can go," Nia said, "I don't want to impose on your time."

"It's fine," Kara said, not letting Nia move toward the door, "We are good. I think I'm going to try to work from home tomorrow to stay with Lena. She's having kind of a rough time right now."

Nia nodded, following Kara into the kitchen. Kara ordered some soup and burgers from the diner, knowing Lena would probably not be super hungry when and if she woke up that night.

"Do you wanna talk about anything?" Kara asked as they sat down on the couch, "Or go over what you got done on your article today. I don't think I'm going to be in the office tomorrow so this might be a good time for that if you're up for it."

"Yeah," Nia said, nodding as she grabbed her laptop, "That sounds good. I actually think this piece might be ready for publication next week."

"Good," Kara said, sitting closer to Nia as the younger woman started to talk about what she had been writing.

Dinner arrived, and they continued working while they were eating. Before it got too late, Kara decided to call James and ask to work from home the following day.

"Hey," James said answering on the third ring, "What's up Kara?"

"Hey James," Kara said, "How's your evening?"

"Boring," James said, laughing, "How's Lena?"

"She's not having the best day," Kara said, sighing a little, "That's actually why I'm calling. I was wondering if I could work from home tomorrow? Lena probably shouldn't be alone. And I worked with Nia on her article tonight so she's in a good place."

"Of course," James said, "You can work from home as long as you need to. I know that you will get your work done no matter where you are, and we don't have any big team projects this week so it doesn't really matter where you work."

"Thanks James," Kara said, a smile in her voice, "I'll see you Wednesday."

"Of course," James said, "And if you need to work from home more, don't worry about it."

"Alright," Kara said, "Thank you."

Nia and Kara continued working until around 9 when they heard the master bedroom door open. Lena came out of the bedroom, stumbling a little bit. Kara ran to her, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend as she guided her to the couch.

"Hey Lena," Nia said, smiling at the older woman.

Lena just half-waved at Nia, leaning on Kara and closing her eyes. Kara and Nia put away their work, deciding instead to turn on the TV and watch Gilmore Girls.

As they were watching, all of the sudden, Nia started crying.

"My mom and I used to watch this show," Nia said, tears running down her face, "When I was little and home sick, this is what she would put on. I forgot about it until now."

"I'm sorry," Kara said, grabbing the remote, "I can put on something else."

"No," Nia said, shaking her head as she tried to dry her tears, "No, I want to watch it. It makes me remember something happy we used to do together. Sorry. I didn't mean to cry."

"Crying is good," Kara said, smiling at her friend, "It's a way to process."

"I know," Nia said, wiping at her still teary eyes again, "It's just…"

"Hard?" Kara said, finishing the sentence.

"Yeah," Nia said, "Like, I want to not feel like crying every time something reminds me of my mom."

"I know," Kara said, nodding as she looked at Lena who had fallen asleep on her lap, thinking of how often she struggled with the same feelings about Lillian but for different reasons, "I know. Grief really sucks sometimes."

"Yeah," Nia said, nodding in agreement as Kara restarted the show, "It really does."

* * *

**So there it was. I hope you liked it! There's a new story coming next weekend! Prompts, suggestions, and feedback are always welcomed! **


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